Azure Steps
by GirlMood
Summary: White eyes saw fear, black eyes saw self loathing, and blue eyes watched familiar loneliness reflected in the gaze of a young girl. But it was the greenish blue eyes of the one who had known it all that she feared. Sometimes, we look and do see. Dropped
1. Chapter 1: Stand

Azure Steps

Author's Notes: For my old fans, thank you for joining me on another journey and to those people just peeking in, welcome. Azure Steps was intended to be rewrite of another fic, Azure Sand, but in the end, I realized that I'd started a completely new story and that the two fics were different. Azure Sand is...shameful. Please don't read it, I beg you. You don't need to read it to understand Azure Steps because THE TWO FICS ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STORIES.

Ahem, yeah, onward.

(Cowers under the glares of rabid fans)

-

Chapter One: Stand

"_Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear." -Ambrose Redmon_

-

It was on a cool winter day that a certain Hyuuga Neji found himself hauling an unconscious Naruto into the infirmary. Only a few days after being inducted into Anbu, Naruto had gotten himself into the largest fight of the year with, of all people, the Anbu Head of Open Combat, a fight that had been instigated with the outraged Head's declaration of, "Fine, you Nine-Tailed bastard! Let's see how tough you are!" It seemed that the Hyuuga had been granted the eternal obligation of dragging the blonde off to the hospital, and by now the sight of the jounin and an incapacitated Kyuubi container had become somewhat routine for the hospital staff.

"What was it this time?"

The Hyuuga raised his head, turning to acknowledge the source of the murderously said question: the imposing figure of a beautiful girl that strode toward him. "Sakura."

Haruno Sakura, the famed student of Tsunade whose medical skills were second only to her teacher's, scowled at the blonde leaning on Neji's shoulder. "Who was it, Neji?"

The Anbu smirked dryly. "The Head of Open Combat."

Sakura blinked, taking a moment to swallow Neji's words, then swore violently. "The idiot," she muttered, glaring at the unconscious Naruto and nearly burning a hole in his forehead while she did. "Well, I'm _not_ healing him this time . . . , or the next time either!" She whirled around, striding away; the medical nins in the doorway scrambled to leap out of her path, throwing themselves flat on the floor in most cases to leave a trail of prostrate human bodies in her wake. A glance at the patched holes in the walls and floors was sufficient explanation for this strange behavior.

Neji watched Sakura until she stepped out the hallway and turned a corner. The smile he wore disappeared when he cornered the nearest medic, first terrified by Sakura's anger and then petrified by Neji's imposing form. "Take care of him." Neji snapped the order to the trembling nin with unmerciful forcefulness, before shoving the blonde at him and exiting the infirmary . . . to nearly collide with a person.

The Hyuuga, graceful even in his less-than-graceful moments (not that there were many of _those_), reared back, lifting his chin to avoid hitting it against the man's head. Neji reached out, grabbed the other's shoulder, and pushed him away, separating themselves. He scowled immediately at the ninja who tottered back dizzily before catching his balance and glared.

"Neji-san?" the shinobi blinked eyes the color of dark cocoa. A curious eyebrow lifted in surprise. "I didn't mean to run into you here . . . literally or otherwise."

Appraising the dark hair and even darker eyes of the fine-featured face, Neji lifted his chin in cold greeting, remembering the ninja from one of his Anbu missions, Tomodatchi Keiji, a genjutsu and tactical specialist.

"Neji-san," returned the other warmly, grinning amicably. "Gomen. I'll be careful next time." Neji raised an eyebrow at the strange shinobi, before glancing down subtly at the frowning cat mask he held in his hand.

_Off duty, then,_ he noted. No Anbu member went around unmasked for any other reason.

His gaze returned to Keiji's, pale eyes narrowing to show his irritation. "Hai. Be more careful."

Keiji smiled brightly in response, too brightly, which made Neji's narrowed eyes narrow even further. He had never liked Keiji or his false exuberance, the grins that seemed too large and happiness that seemed too infallible. The Byakugan was a wonderful thing; Neji never missed the exaggeration of Keiji's feelings or the way he subtly observed his fellow ninja, taking silent notes. Either Keiji was very ambitious and was cataloguing the abilities of those he would have to surpass, or he was an enemy spy.

Though, the possibility of the latter was slim. Still, Neji was naturally suspicious.

"Right then," Keiji said, moving toward the infirmary. "I'll be visiting a friend of mine now."

"A shinobi?" was Neji's doubtful question.

"No, my friend is a clerk in the Phoenix building, working for Takamura Inc. and is a financial expert," he replied, his voice lilting proudly. Had Neji been any other shinobi, he might have believed that this pride was legitimate, but, yet again, Byakugan eyes caught the tiny waver in his happy facade, a hint of some unidentifiable emotion glossing his dark eyes for a split second.

Smoothly, Neji positioned himself in the doorway, glaring meaningfully at the shinobi whose grin had faltered.

"Excuse me, Neji-san, but-" He made a move to slip past the Hyuuga.

Neji shadowed his steps. "Only shinobi are taken care of in this room."

"Oh," An eyebrow arched across the tactical specialist's forehead. "Well, this is where I was directed to from the front desk . . . "

The Hyuuga's eyes regarded him coolly.

"...but I suppose the new staff is incompetent."

Keiji attempted to sneak a not-so subtle glance over the tall boy's shoulder, but another pointed glare from Neji derailed that attempt. The dark-eyed shinobi frowned, but checked his tongue, killing off his protests.

"Um, excuse me . . . "

Both Anbu turned, finding a small nurse clutching a clipboard nervously to her chest.

"Yes?"

The woman fiddled with the collar of her shirt under their simultaneous glares. "Keiji-san, i-it seems that I-I sent you to the wrong r-room . . . "

Keiji's temple twitched.

Neji viewed the situation with feigned disinterest.

"Y-your friend, well . . . " the nurse stammered horribly, struggling to keep herself from bolting from the intimidating ninjas' presence. "I did not u-understand at t-the time that she was n-not a sh-shinobi . . . She's . . . she's in a different room, third floor, A-22."

At this, Neji arched an eyebrow. _So his friend really isn't a shinobi._

It was a strange thing for a ninja to have friends who were not also shinobi.

Keiji was frowning, brow knitting into wrinkles. "All right, then." he said after a while, and started to leave. He was halfway up the first flight of stairs before Neji appeared at his side, climbing the steps in perfect cadence with his own strides. Keiji said nothing to the Hyuuga, made no comment, though he was irked that the shinobi had followed him. Clearly, Neji mistrusted him for some reason and was tagging along to be sure he was not a threat, but arguing again would get him nowhere and Keiji knew that as soon as they reached the room A-22, Neji's suspicions would be proved paranoid.

The pair stopped outside a door. Keiji knocked gently three times and then turned the doorknob and entered, leaving the door partly open, daring the Hyuuga to follow him and either confirm or prove false whatever ideas he held. Pale eyes regarded the opening guardedly, but looked away to focus on the small plate of metal mounted on the wall nearby. _A-22,_ it read and below that, were several removable blocks slid between two aluminum clasps. His eyes lingered on the blocks, observing the characters printed on the plastic:

_Yaksuku Kisa_

Neji turned away and entered the doorway. Inside, the room was white, bare and simple, without color. White walls, white floor, white sheets, and even the person tucked underneath said sheets had the complexion of a ghost . . . His eyes flickered to the person's face and he discovered that his first impression of the room had been incorrect.

Spread across the pillow, long strands of hair the shocking color of brilliant azure contrasted sharply, defiantly, against the sterile surroundings.

For a moment, he was internally stunned, staring at the only source of brightness in the drab room, at this . . . this-

"Kisa," Keiji murmured quietly, and Neji's gaze snapped to him, finding the ninja kneeling by the bedside. "Kisa."

The name was said softly, tenderly gentle - the voice used for the very young, the very innocent. A younger sister, perhaps?

The girl in the bed stirred, opening drugged lids to bare dark, dark eyes. The eyes flickered, blinking slowly as she struggled to bring herself to awareness, then turned first on Keiji - who smiled with bright affection- and secondly on Neji. Her focus wavered for a moment, but she pushed away the lethargy in heartbeat, fixing him with a steady stare.

"K-Keiji, who . . . who is this?" was her hoarse question, but despite directing her words in another direction, she never once looked away from Neji.

Keiji, apparently having not forgiven the Hyuuga for impeding his visit, glowered over his shoulder at the pale-eyed nin. "An Anbu captain, Nee-chan. He was just leaving."

A secretive, but pointed glare followed this, yet Neji made no move to comply with the other's demands.

_His sister._

What was she doing here? She didn't seem injured or ill, and if it hadn't been for the drug-induced sluggishness, he would have assumed that she had been committed to the hospital on an inexperienced nurse's paranoid hunch.

_Something internal?_

It was none of his business. She was a stranger and, while her brother was technically his comrade, he didn't have any ties to her. Still, something nagged at him, tugged at him . . . Dark, dark eyes that, as they shook off drugged sleep, had fixed him with a look of blunt awareness beyond what she should have been capable of, a look that had clearly said she was aware of her weaknesses and she tried to make up for them.

The muscles of his heart clenched, squeezed painfully together, a twisting hurt in his chest. That stare had awakened a sense of painful nostalgia, and he remembered where he had seen that same look in eyes of a different color. His cousin's trembling form appeared in his mind's eye, blood staining her lips, and he almost flinched.

Keiji reached out to his sister with a soothing hand, but her face grimaced in response - lips curling, eyes flashing fear - and her body tensed with expectancy.

But her eyes remained locked with Neji's.

Honed instincts went off at that moment. Something was wrong here. The atmosphere of the room was suddenly thick and poisonous; Keiji's face, gazing at Kisa with seeming affection, suddenly seeming more and more like a plausible threat.

His gaze strayed from hers with convincing calmness, landing on the clipboard at the foot of the bed. He stepped closer, taking it from its metal holder, ignoring Keiji's protests. He scanned the first page, skimming over the monotonous details - _Age: 18, Sex: F, Blood Type . . . - _before he flipped the sheet over to search the one beneath. There it was, her doctor's diagnosis.

Keiji's demeanor took an immediate U-turn. He stepped forward menacingly, seeming far too threatened for the cause to be simply brotherly paranoia, and hissed through teeth as his hand twitched, as if he wanted to reach for the ninjaku strapped to his back, "That's confidential. Stop that, _Hyuuga._"

But it was too late. Pale eyes rested on a single paragraph, scrawled in black pen by a familiar friend, signed Haruno Sakura, the entry read,_Patient Diagnosis: Hemophilia. The patient's blood lacks the ability to clot and bleeds profusely for even the smallest scrapes. Bruises form on the patient's body from random and minor spurts of bleeding beneath the surface of the skin._

His eyes lifted from the page, rising to meet Keiji's fury.

"That is strictly familial-"

"Then forgive my impudence," Neji interrupted sharply, and without any real sentiment. "For a moment, I was suspicious."

"Of what?" was the answering snarl. Keiji's hand twitched again; the idea of slicing the Hyuuga open with his ninjaku seemed so much more tempting.

The Anbu captain's white eyes were daring him to try that; his temples were already wrinkling with the impulse to bring his thrumming veins to the surface and pump hot chakra to his Byakugan eyes. Keiji's hand jerked again, but he didn't reach for his sword. Even though he had lost his composure, he wasn't so lost in anger that he would try to pull a blade on the Hyuuga clan's most powerful shinobi.

"Keiji."

The dark-eyed ninja blinked, turned his head, but kept a wary watch on the Hyuuga from his peripheral vision. The caution wasn't necessary because Neji's gaze was fixed on the girl in the bed.

"Keiji," Kisa repeated, and her voice seemed even more strained. "That's enough."

While Keiji bristled, she glanced at Neji and her eyes took on a pained light.

"Shinobi-san, I think it's best that you go."

Indignation and worry both took stabs at him. He was worried for her - he had seen the fear in her eyes and was reluctant to leave her alone with the brother who had caused the reaction - ,but at the same time, his pride was ruffled. Go? He wasn't a dog, and he wasn't going to be sent away. Not when he could easily take care of the man before him without so much as batting a white eye.

"Please." Kisa added when she saw the stubborn set of his jaw, a terse, pleading note in her voice.

Neji blinked.

"Please." she said again.

He observed her face for a moment, then nodded curtly. A sharp glare from him speared Keiji before the Hyuuga exited the room.

-

It became an obsession.

"Shinobi-san, what brings you here?"

He couldn't leave her alone, not when he knew that Keiji visited, too. So, Neji came to see her, to protect her. From what, he was not sure because she had never let him in on that, on why she feared the touch of her brother or why his presence smothered her voice. He only knew that she was afraid, and he couldn't help but want to alleviate that fear, because he remembered another time when he himself had caused that same kind of fear in his own cousin. And by wanting to use her to atone for his mistakes, he knew he was being selfish.

But after a while, after many weeks of hearing her drained voice and seeing her smile that weak smile, he realized that his selfish reasons had vanished and that he'd become genuinely attached to her.

Though, he soon realized, despite all his visits, he'd barely spoken a word to her.

-

She sensed him leaning against the wall by the door. His presence was different from Keiji's and she knew by memory the feeling of his gently pulsing chakra, powerful and imposing even when contained. Opening her sleepy eyes, she greeted Neji with a smile, "Ohayo, Shinobi-san."

The Hyuuga lifted his chin in return, but otherwise didn't respond. Kisa was used to his silence - he said little to her during his visits - and smiled again before settling back into the hospital bed. She closed her eyes, breathing a small breath of contentment and relief. It was early morning and today was exactly two months after the white-eyed ninja had first walked into room A-22.

Since he'd begun to see her, Keiji dropped by less often and even when he did, he never lingered long, especially when Neji was present. Kisa was enjoying that fact and she was pleasantly surprised that she still had the capability to feel happiness. After being formally diagnosed with Hemophilia A, her life had consisted of long confinements to bed, lethargy, sleep, and with physical therapy appointments once a week. Her life before the hospital had been simple; she'd been a financial clerk, rented a small apartment, and owned a pair of goldfish. Still, she missed that simplicity, finding herself longing for the hours spent at her work desk, scribbling away at spreadsheets, and also for the smaller aspects of her former existence: feeding her fish, cooking, taking lunch breaks at her favorite food stand, and being able to _walk_ to there without worrying over bumping into something and not being able to stop bleeding.

"Sakura . . . She's your doctor, right?" Neji spoke up suddenly and Kisa's eyes opened in surprise. He was watching her with an unreadable gaze.

"Yes, but she's busy often, so the nurses take care of me." She frowned at him. He already knew that. So why-?

Kisa noticed the distant vacancy in his eyes. _Thinking aloud?_ she realized.

"What exactly . . . is hemophilia?"

The question caused her eyes to widen. Neji had never asked her anything about her condition. What was he thinking?

She answered him, nonetheless, "I was born with this, but nobody knew I had it until a year ago." He didn't respond that, so she continued. "The kind of hemophilia that I have is called Hemophilia A. My body lacks a certain protein that allows my blood to clot, so if I cut myself, I'd have some difficulty healing and would lose a lot of blood or . . . maybe my wound wouldn't heal at all." At his look of restrained surprise, Kisa offered him a smile. "It's all right. I don't have a severe case. It's just that sometimes my body bleeds inside for no reason and bruises, or that I bleed into my joints."

Neji frowned, glancing at her knee. "Sakura mentioned something about bleeding in your knee."

A soft, humorless chuckle followed that. "Yeah, that's how the doctors knew I had hemophilia. The blood bled into the knee joint, irritated it, and it swelled." Her feet stirred idly beneath the covers. "I was in so much pain, but I didn't have enough to pay for a doctor to look at it, so I . . . ignored it. And then it was too late. When I did see a doctor, the damage had been done and my knee . . . it's not very strong inside anymore and it's difficult to do some things. I can't do much anymore . . . "

She smiled at him again and he regarded her with another of his unreadable gazes. The conversation ended there and they lapsed into peaceful silence. Neji brooded quietly, his back to the wall and his eyes focused on the opposite side of the room, contemplating and considering. Kisa closed her eyes again, shifted so that she was sitting, and leant against the headboard. She sighed, slipping away into a meditative state of mind.

Neji would usually leave at intervals like this, but today he surprised her.

"Would you like to take a walk, Kisa-san?"

Dark eyes snapped open, fixing him with a look of horrified shock.

"_**What?!**_"

He was at her side, slipping a careful hand around her waist. She struggled immediately, without thinking, terror creasing her features, azure hair slapping his face as she shook her head and pushed his arm weakly. Her mouth rounded, forming a single word that she repeated ceaselessly over and over again, _No, no, no, no, no . . . _

"It's only me." Neji said, and he remembered that she never, ever, let anyone touch her - not even the nurses with their gloved hands. Certainly, never Keiji, or him, who had only known her for two months, but he wanted to try just the same. "It'll be good for you."

"No!" She struck his shoulder with a kitten-soft blow. "I...I can't!"

He lifted her squirming and crying from bed and held her in his arms above the floor, watching her tears stream from her eyes, hearing her protests rapidly dissolve into wrenching sobs. A nurse appeared in the doorway, shocked, but a pointed look from Neji sent her scrambling away. Long minutes followed, an hour then, before Kisa quieted and became a trembling, living bundle in his grasp.

Neji bent his head, whispering in her ear, "I'm going to put you down now."

Her head jerked from side to side.

"You're going to stand." he added, and she began to cry again.

Neji knew that he could be called cruel, but she needed this. Sakura had informed him of the treatments and also of the lack of a cure for Kisa's condition.

"_But she can live a normal life if she continues the treatments." _she'd said.

"_Treatments?"_

"_Yes, we give her a regular transfusion of the protein she lacks; it controls the bleeding and other symptoms. But . . . " _Here, Sakura had paused.

"_But?"_ Neji had prodded.

"_But without exercise, her muscles will never be strong enough to cushion and protect the joints in her body. The strength of her muscles can actually protect these joints and help prevent future bleeds in them, lessen her pain, and maybe, even allow her to leave the hospital."_

"_Then why is she confined to her bed and only able to visit a physical therapist once a week? That's not enough, isn't it?"_

"_No, but we're understaffed and her condition is rare, more so in females. For a woman to develop hemophilia, is a one in a million chance. The hospital is not equipped for her."_

When Sakura had said that, the gears in his head turned and before he knew it, he was saying, _"I can take care of her physical therapy."_

Sakura had given him a skeptical look. He wasn't a medical nin, and his specialties lay in taijutsu, but that was exactly why she'd taken his offer. As a master of the Byakugan and Hyuuga clan's Jyuuken, Neji knew the human body as well as any medical nin and he could see into the body with his bloodline. If anything went wrong with Kisa, he would instantly be able to detect it and spot the problem.

Kisa was not compliant with him, but he continued on. When her bare feet touched the tile, she cried out at the coldness the contact brought her. Neji held her shoulders as she stood, knowing that her full weight couldn't be placed on her bum knee just yet. She was still for a long while, and he felt a fleeting flash of worry shoot through him as he wondered if she'd gone into a state of shock, until her shoulders shifted beneath his grasp.

Small hands reached up and touched his.

"I...I'm not strong enough yet, but when I am . . . I'd like to take that walk, Neji-san."

-

Author's Note: Here it is, finally, after many, many, long months: Azure Steps. This is the long-awaited rewrite of Azure Sand, but, to be honest, it is so different from the first that I realized that the two stories are really completely different fics. Like I've said before, there's no need to read Azure Sand if you're a new reader (I'd actually rather you didn't read that shameful thing... Please don't.)

I did some research into hemophilia, the disorder that Kisa has. Hemophilia is an inherited disorder caused by a recessive gene passed down through the family and the most famous case of this is the Hemophilia that afflicted Queen Victoria of England's children, grandchildren, and descendants for decades. What is hemophilia? If you didn't understand Kisa's explanation (I tend to be unclear about things like that... ), let me clear things up. Hemophilia is caused by a rare gene passed down through the family that causes either a lack of or deformity in the protein that allows your blood to clot, i.e. the platelets. Platelets are little things that make up the scabs that cover your cuts, but people with hemophilia have trouble forming scabs and can bleed uncontrollably. A small bump against an object can sometimes mean death in some cases by internal bleeding. Symptoms of hemophilia include bleeding from the nose or on the inside for no reason at all, bruises on the skin, the inability to form scabs over cuts, and internal bleeding in the joints that can cause permanent damage there.

There is no cure for Hemophilia, however there are treatments. Exercising can strengthen the muscles to help prevent joint bleeds and blood transfusions that contain the clotting protein can control and prevent excessive bleeding, so that a bump on the arm won't cause a trip to the hospital. There are different levels and two forms of Hemophilia. Kisa has Hemophilia A, the most common form of the disorder, and her condition ranges somewhere between mild and serious.

Anyway, enough with my babble! Go on, now, tell me what you think. I'd like to hear about any mistakes, typos, awkward-sounding sentences, or just if you have a question. If you feel like reviewing, go ahead...it'll make you feel all warm and fuzzyish! XD Now, let's see what's in store next time!

(Cracks open a fortune cookie)

Cookie reads:

You will encounter many obstacles in your path.

Er...

(Is knocked over by a volley of random objects thrown by unamused readers)


	2. Chapter 2: A Winter Day

Author's Note: Ahem, I have a legitimate excuse for my lateness, but I'm quite sure you don't want to hear it so... Onward! Read!

Oh and before I forget. On a second note, this story is not a Kisa and Neji pairing. (points to people who asked) lol. And yes, Gaara WILL be in this story. In fact, he's one of the major characters and is... Eeep! Can't spill the secrets!

(shoos readers) Go on, read now! XD

-

Azure Steps

Chapter Two: A Winter Day

-

The winter air scattered snowflakes across Konohagakure and into an open window. The white flakes gathered at the window sill where the heat from the radiator slowly melted them into a cool slush that drizzled down onto gray carpet. A lone flake, carrier of an intricate design invisible to the human eye, drifted past its brothers, escaping the fate of its companions, and floated on a thin waft of air to then begin a slow descent toward the forehead of Uchiha Sasuke.

Black eyes cracked open, blinked; a pale arm raised to his head and a calloused thumb squashed the flake into oblivion. Sasuke sighed lightly, closing his eyes, and his hand fell back on the bed where he had collapsed the night before. Before he could slip into the darkness his body still craved, a loud thud sounded from the living room.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke stifled a groan. _Dobe._

Who else but Naruto would bang like a maniac at someone's front door, and at seven in the morning, to top it off?

_If I'm quiet,_ the Uchiha thought hopefully. _Maybe he'll grow bored and leave..._

"Teme, I'm not leaving till you come out!"

_...or __**not**!_

Sasuke growled to himself in irritation, shooting up in bed. He tossed aside his sheets and swung his feet over the side of the mattress. The shinobi stalked out his room to the living room where Naruto's voice blared the loudest, reflexively clenching and unclenching his fist.

"Te-eme!" Naruto sang.

Almost too quickly to see, the front door swung inward and a fist exploded into Naruto's face. The blonde crashed into the apartment railing behind him.

Sasuke stood framed in the doorway, a tic throbbing near his forehead. "Dobe," was the grunted welcome and the response to that was a groan of pain.

-

She was sitting up in bed and looking out the window when Neji came by, her hands fisted loosely in her sheets. He knocked once to announce his presence and she turned, dark eyes focusing on him. A smile parted her lips.

"Neji-san."

"Kisa-san." Neji greeted in return, crossing over to her bedside.

Kisa followed his movements with her eyes, smiling all the while. When he took a seat in the chair by her bed, she raised an eyebrow curiously. He'd never sat down when visiting.

"How is your leg?" he inquired, his white gaze on the appendage hidden beneath her sheets.

"It feels fine."

Neji's eyes were on her's in an instant. Kisa swallowed.

"A little...stiff." she admitted.

He nodded to himself, accepting the answer. "And...the rest of your body?"

"...Stiff."

Again, Neji nodded. "I thought so. You haven't done much physically since being in here."

"No," Kisa agreed, flushing. "I haven't."

Suddenly and without a word, he was on his feet and quickly striding out the door. Kisa stared after him with wide eyes, blinking a few times in surprise. From the hallway, she heard voices, Neji's and one of the nurse's, and then, just as quickly as he'd left, Neji was walking back in the room with an almost smug expression. Settling himself back in his chair, he explained, "I've had your diet changed. It'll be more protein-friendly now."

Kisa's eyes rounded. "You can do that? I mean, the nurses won't mind?"

A smirk crawled across the Hyuuga's lips. "I'm a Hyuuga." he said simply and Kisa poked him in the forehead.

Neji gave her an almost offended look, rubbing the spot where her index finger had made contact with his head.

"You're so...full of yourself."

And he blinked.

-

He was still feared, Sasuke noted with grim satisfaction as both shinobi and citizens of Konoha parted before him and Naruto as they strolled down the food district. The wide berth given to the former avenger gave him some sort of perverse pride in knowing that his reputation as Orochimaru's merciless apprentice still stood, but he resented it as well, his frowning features drawing together to glare fiercely at the crowd. Naruto noticed the change in posture, saw the tightening of Sasuke's jaw, the way his body tensed and shivered with checked strength; and shifted closer to his friend, showing him a solemn, reassuring smile.

The Uchiha remained tightly coiled, but his eyes flickered with a fleeting flash of reluctant gratitude, giving more to Naruto than most people saw of him in a lifetime.

Sasuke's return to Konoha had been the result of bloody battle between himself and Orochimaru, or perhaps, some speculated, with Itachi. During a routine patrol, the kind that Naruto normally wouldn't have been caught dead on if it hadn't been for Tsunade's monstrous strength, Naruto stumbled upon the Uchiha. He was reclining against a tree, his own sword sheathed in his belly; and as the Kyuubi container and his watch mates looked on in stunned silence, Sasuke opened black eyes, parted bloodied lips, and as proof to the fact that he lived, muttered, "Well, dobe? Aren't you going to take me home...? Like you promised?"

The boy was placed in intensive care and under twenty-four hour surveillance. For weeks that accumulated to months in the end, Sasuke drifted between semi-awareness and a brief comatose-like state in which not even Tsunade's abilities could lift him from. Hated, loathed, despised, and feared by those who had once been his comrades, friends even, his short moments of consciousness had been spent practically alone save for Naruto, who sat by his bed, alternating between berating him for his actions, cursing and damning the Uchiha, and pleading with him to survive.

Finally, he broke free from his coma. Sasuke's punishment, as well as the reason for his defection from Orochimaru, was a secret kept between Tsunade, himself, and Naruto. While many of Konoha watched with clear loathing as the Uchiha once again joined the ranks of the village shinobi, Naruto and the others of Sasuke's age group struggled to deal with the sudden return. Two years later, Ino, once one of his most devoted fangirls, would shoot disgusted looks at him. Many of the Konoha Twelve continued to share her sentiments.

But there had been progress.

Yesterday, to the shock of everyone present, Sakura healed a cut from one of Sasuke's spars. From the time he had returned and up until just now, the medic nin had avoided Sasuke like the plague, never so much as daring to glance at _him_. But she'd come up to him, placed a gentle hand against the scrape on his arm, and healed him, even going so far as to offer a small, tentative smile.

The memory of that smile surfaced in the Uchiha's mind. His shoulders relaxed imperceptibly.

"Ayame-chan will be so happy with this!" Naruto gleefully waved a wrapped box in his face, breaking in on Sasuke's quiet reflection.

The dark-haired shinobi raised his eyes from the exuberant shinobi, blinking in mild surprise when he realized that they reached their destination while he'd been reminiscing. He heaved a soft sigh.

_I've grown soft here..._ Sasuke thought, but the thought was without bitterness.

"Ayame-nee-chan!" Naruto cried and rushed inside a quaint ramen stand where moments later, the sound of woman's laughter came from. "See? See?"

Sasuke sighed again, turning his eyes skyward to inspect the view before shoving his mitten-covered hands deep in his pockets and trudging through the snow to enter the lit stand. He arched a brow at the sight he came on. A woman was half-thrown across the counter, glomping Naruto with killing affection that turned the blonde blue to the roots of his hair. Torn wrappings littered the counter, testament to the eagerness of the gift's recipient, and clutched in the hand the woman squeezed Naruto's head in, was a glass bracelet.

Sasuke coughed into his hand.

The woman blinked blankly at him, noticing his presence for the first time, and then gasped. Blushing sheepishly, she removed herself from Naruto's person, and the blonde promptly fell over, thunking his head against the counter, wheezing.

"I'm sorry." Ayame waved an apologetic hand at Sasuke, who listened only dimly, distracted by the sound of Naruto in distress. "It's just that Naruto-kun bought this wonderful gift for my birthday and I...I lost it! Ahahah..."

She laughed brightly. Naruto continued to struggle for breath. Sasuke coughed again.

"Er? Oh, yes!" Ayame ducked underneath the counter, surfacing afterward with an empty glass which she filled from a tap and handed to Sasuke.

Sasuke fisted his hand in Naruto's hair, yanked the blonde's head up, and forced the cup between his lips. A few seconds later, Naruto was coughing and sputtering out water.

"B-Bastard!"

Sasuke only sighed. "C'mon, dobe. We're late 'cause of you."

Then, without any further statements, he hauled Naruto away from the counter. Dragging his squirming friend by the hair behind him, Sasuke lifted his hand to Ayame, waving distantly, before slipping out into the chilly outdoors.

-

Neji's breath formed thin, white clouds in the cold. He pressed his numb lips together, frowning as he shoved his hands deeper into his coat pockets. Beside him, seated on a small wooden bench, Kisa hunched her shoulders and gritted her chattering teeth. For a second, her bad knee twinged with pain, but the feeling was gone quickly and she reminded herself that she'd been the one to insist on accompanying Neji today despite his protests. ("Even you said I had to get out more," she'd argued, and poor Neji had had to carry her.)

"I'm fine." Kisa said when he glanced at her, and she smiled, suspecting that his perceptive gaze had not missed her flinch.

The frigid season still clung to Konoha even though spring was just around the corner. A glance at the village scenery was enough to confirm that winter left late in the area. Snow settled in thick drifts across Konoha. The winter wind stirred these white mounds occasionally, disturbing the snow and setting them adrift again in haphazard trajectories. Bare-limbed trees crackled as the very same wind toyed mischievously with stiff branches and splintered bark. The evergreens, seemingly immune to the cold, stood ominous and disapproving of the abuse of their cousins.

Watching the scenery, a smile crossed Kisa's lips as she spied two figures in the distance and she pressed a hand to her forehead, pushing away the strands of hair that obscured her vison. Neji's eyes were also on the approaching pair.

"Are those your friends, Neji-san?" Kisa twisted her head to look at him. "The ones you're meeting?"

_Friends?_

More like the pains in his neck.

"Hai."

Once near enough, the two could be easily identified as Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto, who was being towed by the hair behind the first. Naruto kicked and threw an impressive tantrum at the manhandling, but Sasuke ignored him and dumped the blonde at Neji's feet, face first in the snow. Kisa stifled laughter behind her hands as the indignant shinobi exploded from the snow and proceeded to attack the uncaring Sasuke.

Neji sighed quietly.

"It'll be over soon." Neji informed her, and it seemed like he knew what he talking about.

Apparently, he did because just as quickly as Naruto had sprung at Sasuke, the Uchiha rounded about and knocked the blonde unconscious in the snow. Neji sighed again, knowing that he'd be the one to haul Naruto off to the hospital...again. He turned to Kisa, meaning to tell her this, but...Kisa was staring at Sasuke.

Now that the loud one was unconscious, Kisa found her eyes drawn to the pale young man glaring half-heartedly at his companion on the ground. He was tall, just as tall as Neji was, and his hair was raven-colored hair. The shinobi raised his head - perhaps he sensed her stare? - and turned black eyes on her, regarding her with bored appraisal. She started in surprise when she clearly saw his face.

Like Neji, Sasuke was also beautiful, in a manly way, but there was something there Kisa sensed; something that Neji had but didn't possess as strongly. A certain darkness cloyed his chakra and even Kisa, who was not a shinobi, could feel how it permeated his existence.

"Who's she?" Sasuke asked bluntly, focusing on Neji.

He glanced once at her indignant face before responding, "Her name is Kisa and she's my responsibility."

The Uchiha arched an eyebrow, but Neji didn't elaborate.

The body at their feet stirred, groaning. "Ugh..."

Sasuke spared Naruto a short once-over, then shifted his gaze back to Neji. "Well, Hyuuga?" A smirk curled the Uchiha's lips and Kisa glanced between him and Neji, wondering just what she was missing.

"A moment." Neji said.

He left Kisa to attend to Naruto, throwing the dazed and dramatically moaning blonde over his shoulder and then depositing him on the other side of the snow covered clearing. When he returned, he took her by the elbow and gently pulled her in his arms, carrying Kisa from the bench to where Naruto lay on the ground.

"What's going on, Neji-san?" she asked, searching his face for an answer.

Neji guided her to a tree, helping her sit and lean against it before replying unconcernedly, "I'm going to fight Uchiha."

Her eyes flew wide open, shocked.

"It's only a spar." Neji clarified, but that didn't seem to calm her.

He rejoined Sasuke in the center of the clearing, noting that the Uchiha had discarded his thick coat and mittens, opting to fight in a turtleneck and sweats. Neji quickly followed suit, unbuttoning his jacket and tugging off his mittens. He threw his clothes carelessly to the side and then slipped into the stance of the Gentle Fist.

"I've been looking forward to this." Neji said, veins exploding to the surface of his skin, lining his temples.

Sasuke smirked in reply, falling into his own taijutsu stance, and black eyes turned red as he activated his Sharingan.

For a moment, they stared at each other, but in the next moment, the clearing where they'd stood was empty and silent. Kisa, who had been watching the exchange, searched the area wildly, wondering what had happened. Naruto was quiet now and he stared at the clearing with keen eyes. Noticing the interest he showed, she followed the direction of his eyes, squinting at the empty clearing.

_What is he looking a-_ Her thought ended when she saw what attracted Naruto's eyes: two barely perceivable blurs.

Sasuke and Neji had not left the clearing. Their battle was simply too fast to follow for the average person and even when squinting, Kisa could only catch snippets of the action: a thrown kunai, scattered snow from an avoided kick, and flashes of black and dark brown hair.

"They're so...so..." She couldn't find the words.

"Strong?" Naruto offered, apparently having recovered from his injuries.

"Yeah." Kisa breathed as she looked on in awe and embarrassment, realizing that her worrying over Neji had been for nothing.

She'd always sensed Neji was above other shinobi, and the fact that both ninja and civilians alike greeted with him with respectful difference, had only strengthened that thought. But seeing him in action, in real-live combat (forget that it was a spar), was almost overwhelming. He was so fast and...and...Sasuke was, too. How was it possible? How could someone _move_ like that?

Kisa had never seen anything like it before and her head was swirling. Unconsciously, her fingers dug into her pants.

_This is real power._ Kisa thought and then she wondered, _Is Keiji this strong?_

It was an interesting question, and one that she suspected she'd never find an answer to. Keiji kept his shinobi business to himself.

As she watched Neji block a punch thrown from Sasuke, she sincerely hoped that she'd never know that answer.

-

In the end, there was no winner. Naruto had lost patience waiting for the action to end and had leapt right between Neji and Sasuke with a fist for each. The final result was a bruise on Neji's cheek, a bloody nose for Sasuke, and an unconscious Naruto lying in his own crater between them.

"That dobe..." seethed Sasuke, his hand gingerly covering his streaming nose.

Neji's face was an attractive shade of red. "When he wakes up..." He rubbed his cheek, glaring at Naruto.

A loud burst of laughter ended the stream of murderous thoughts in Neji's head.

Kisa was laughing...at them.

Sasuke's temple twitched as he turned to Neji, glowering. "Again, I ask... Who is she, Neji?"

"A friend."

Sasuke snorted at that, immediately regretting it when a new stream of blood spurted from his nose.

Kisa was too far to hear their conversation, so Neji decided to clarify.

"She's Sakura's patient, a hemophilic with...issues."

Eying the laughing girl with annoyance, Sasuke asked, "Issues?"

"Family."

Black eyes zeroed in on white ones with startling intensity.

Unaffected by the Uchiha's change in demeanor, Neji went on, "Her parents died in the war and her only surviving family is her brother, Tomodatchi Keiji." Instantly, Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "That's right, you know about him, Uchiha."

The former avenger's gaze snapped away from his, landing on the oblivious Kisa. "Of course, but...how'd you know about Keiji?"

Neji's answer was said offhandedly. "I am an Anbu officer. I have access to all sorts of files."

"...I bet you do."

A few minutes later, Kisa stopped laughing and Neji took her back to the hospital with Naruto thrown over his shoulder. With nothing better to do, Sasuke accompanied them.

-

"This needs your signature, Kazekage-sama."

Karma. What an ugly word.

"The proposed treaty with Snow Country also needs looking at."

The world hated him, he decided. Quite literally, in his case.

"...and..."

Why wouldn't this man shut up? So, he asked him.

The secretary, a red-face man, went pale in the face.

Ah, there, problem solved.

"Gaara!"

"..."

"You can't tell someone that!" Temari began to berate him.

"Unless they're that annoying."

"Kankuro, why don't you shut up?!"

And so, the hypocritical kunoichi smacked the middle sibling upside the head, sparking the beginnings of one of their infamous squabbles.

Gaara sighed quietly, closing his eyes. The diplomatic trip was completely unnecessary in his opinion, but the council of Sunagakure had pressed this issue particularly hard, rendering his usual heated glares ineffective and thus producing this situation. He was currently seated in a caravan carried on the shoulders of four men, whom he felt slight pity toward, and in the company of his siblings and secretary; the rest of his pity was directed toward himself.

A voice came from outside, addressing the Kazekage respectfully, "Kazekage-sama, we are at the gates of Konoha."

Gaara steeled himself for hours of meetings with old men and boredom.

-

If there are such things as fateful encounters, then Kisa had experienced two already, and she experienced another as Neji and Sasuke took herself and Naruto to the hospital. Neji was fuming quietly, Naruto's dead weight on his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Sasuke was striding along nonchalantly, Kisa settled on his back and flushing in embarrassment at the situation. The group was moving along slowly; Neji weighed down by Naruto and Sasuke taking care - albeit unwilling care - with Kisa. As they crossed the village's main square, a guarded caravan passed by, encircled by at least a dozen or more Konoha and Suna ninja. The caravan, carried on the backs of four men, was wooden and curtained with blue drapes; the symbol for 'wind' was embroidered on these curtains as well as etched into the side of the car.

"What is it?" Kisa asked as she stared at the procession.

It was Sasuke that answered. "The Kazekage is visiting Konoha."

"Kazekage?" she repeated breathlessly. She'd heard stories of the powerful leader of Sunagakure no Sato. Even she, a civilian, knew of the tales of his strength and unrivaled defense mechanism. "Is it true? That he controls sand? That he can make it do anything he wants?"

Sasuke chuckled humorlessly. "Hai. It's true." He turned his head, fixing one black eye on her. "I should know - I've fought him before."

She stared at him, expression for once unreadable. "Oh." Her eyes turned back to the caravan, watching as it was born away. Quite a crowd had gathered to see to the Kazekage's entrance and she noticed a flicker of movement from one of the curtained windows: a flash of red, a glimpse of a pale hand that lifted the fabric to peer outside at the gathered mass. Kisa blinked as Sasuke began walking again.

"Pray that you never meet him." Sasuke muttered to her and she said nothing.

A few minutes later, they were at the hospital.

-

-

Author's Note: Contrary to the popular belief, this is not a Neji and Kisa pairing. They're just building a strong bond. And yes, my curious readers, Gaara has made is appearance and is a main character. Anyhoo, I spent a lot of time editing and fixing this until I was sure it looked...perfect or as near as that as possible for me. I like this chapter. I like it a lot. Now, tell me what you think! (points to review button) If you feel like reviewing, please do so, and if not, that's okay too!

Review Responses

Many thanks go to my reviewers and shadow readers.

NeferNeferi- I took your advice and started using more semi-colons. I think it does help my writing. glomps Thank you so much!

Heorot- Good to hear. (is proud)

MistFaerie93- Yup, I'm pretty sure a lot of people have done what we have. Still, in the end, I think it's always for the better. Thanks for the review.

kwintess- Well, I'm glad that you followed me along for this ride. And thank you for review. The first chapter was interesting? Why, thank you!

Kaiyt- 'Falling over yourselves'? Ugh, I didn't mean to do that my readers. Well, at least you've got this to look forward to!

Centurious the Azure- You always remember to review my chapters, but I always forget to return the favor. So sorry! And thank for the review. (runs off to review Storm Scion)

Lyris88- Actually, I was doing a biology project on autosomal disorders when I came across Hemophilia. The idea of character with it churned around in my brain for a while until I was able to apply the idea to Kisa. And then, after much time, I was able to form a plot and Azure Steps was born! Your sisters have this? My prayers go out to them and if I ever have Kisa do something that no hemophilic would do or if I screw up my medical information, tell me. I'll fix it. Hmm, Gaara. Well, he's a main character, a very important main character. That's all I can say, but...he is important! dodges airborne weapons XD

Valinor's Twilight- Well, it's no so much that Kisa is weaker mentally, but rather that she's weaker physically. Kisa, even in Azure Sand, was never really a strong person to begin with and one of my themes in nearly all my stories has been 'personal growth' or the discovery of 'inner strength'. Kisa will get stronger. If she didn't, I'd scrap the story. Lol Remember, the characters write themselves and Kisa's telling me that she'll grow as a person.

Altais- Well, I do like to keep ya'll entertained. Lol Thanks for review.

saltandpepper- Gaara has made his appearance. Hope this makes you happy, luv, and no, this isn't a NejiKisa pairing. I don't think it would work like that between them. (smiles)

vampiric instincts- Here's the next chapter! (hands cookie)

P260even- Another of my old Azure Sand readers. (pats) Gaara has popped into my story and, good news, he's one of the main characters. hands cookie Thanks for the review.

Azaeli-Kauriu- Thanks for the alert! I'm very glad you enjoyed this. Really, when I hear that, I feel like dancing!

Green Animelover- Thanks.


	3. Chapter 3: Odds 'n Ends

Azure Steps

Author Notes: I'm sorry to say that that I was a bit MORE than overdue. I am, in fact, about FIVE months overdue. TT There were many factors to that contributed to my lateness (family illness and the dreaded writer's block) but I'm up and rolling now, so things should be more smooth. Yeah, so, read. XD

Songs 4 Muse: Boyfriend - Ashley Simpson, L.O.V.E - Ashley Simpson, Haruka Kanata - Asian Kung-fu Generation, The Middle - Jimmy Eat World, The Little Drummer Boy - Harry Connick Jr., Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis(?), Beautiful - Creed

Chapter Three: Odds 'n Ends

"Lovely color, Naruto." Sakura remarked.

Naruto growled.

"What?" scoffed Sasuke; Naruto shot him a murderous glare. "And I thought you'd be pleased with the yukata I lent you."

The blonde snarled in return, practically bristling, "And I might... If it weren't that damn _orange_."

He tugged at the collar of his borrowed clothes, grinding his teeth, muttering things like 'never again' and 'stupid teme' beneath his breath. Sasuke merely smirked, actually looking a bit satisfied with himself as the three of them strolled down the stall-lined street. Now, what kind of festivity would be happening that might lead to a certain jinchuuriki asking/demanding a yukata from the Uchiha heir? Ah, yes, that's right. The Kazekage's visit called for a celebration. Speaking of said person...

"I refuse."

"But Gaara-"

"No."

The redhead's eyes were narrowed and sharp; a particurely strong glare directed at the puppeteer before him. Gaara's arms, firmly crossed over his chest, and his rigid, unmoving posture matched the immobile stance he'd taken on the issue of discussion. Kankuro scrubbed his hand helplessly across his paintless face before pinching the bridge of his nose, attempting to remain calm long enough to solve the problem regarding political requirements and his brother's stubborness.

"Ga-"

"I'd rather kill them." the other interrupted curtly and, most likely, quite seriously.

Temari walked in the room a moment later to discover Gaara pinned to the wall via the sharp blades of Crow. Gaara, of course, was taking this all rather well, staring down blandly at his livid brother and then at Temari, offering her a neutral 'hello'. Several minutes and many violent acts later, Gaara was off the wall and inspecting the new holes in his clothes while the kunoichi dragged her other brother (whimpering) to the side.

"What's this about?"

"Jerk wouldn't go give a speech."

"Well, why in the world would he need to?"

"'Cuz there's a festival being thrown in _his_ honor so _he _needs to go out and talk, blah, spit, or whatever! So long as _he _shows up!"

Whatever Temari's response was would never be known because at that moment, a pale hand rapped white knuckles against the door. Both turned at the noise and to their shock, Gaara was already dressed in the robes of Kazekage and standing at the door of their hotel room. "Hn." he said simply and was gone.

--

This was embarrassing.

"I'm not sure about this, Neji-san." Kisa's voice was muffled through the bathroom door.

"You'll be fine." he replied in return, sitting on the edge of her bed, elbows on knees and hands clasped loosely together. "And if you don't go, Sakura will be angry with me."

"Well-," The sound of shuffling and some fussing was heard along with a dull thump. "Er, _ow_. These shoes are...something else." And then, after another round of loud noises, the door swung inward and Kisa's hassled face appeared in the gap. "Um, I-"

"Come out."

"But-"

"Naruto will be disappointed and Sakura won't be happy to have missed seeing you in a kimono, especially one that _she_ bought you."

She took this into consideration, and looked indecisive, but Neji's eyes were growing harder by the second. "Come_ out_." he ordered.

She hesitated; dark eyes flickering, but, in the end, she obeyed.

Quicksilver eyes widened.

Immediately, she flushed pale at his expression, but Neji was speaking already, swallowing the lump in his throat, assuring her, "No, no. It's... Sakura's just got good taste."

"Ah," Still, the young woman's hand fiddled with her loose hair, winding blue strands of hair round thin fingers. The mention of the kimono's original owner didn't improve her nervousness, but with Sakura turning up at her hospital room that afternoon and depositing a box of pricy silk garments on her bed, Kisa really hadn't had a choice. "You're too pale," the medic had told her. "It'd be good for you to be in some sort of motion and, if possible, walk a few steps." And then she'd been dragged off into the bathroom, box in hand, and ordered to be dressed and presentable by the time of the Kazekage's festival. When Neji, who'd been dropping by to check with Sakura on something, stuck his head through the door, the medic hauled him inside by the arm, dropped him on the bed and gave him stern instructions, "Take her with you tonight and leave only when she's dressed in that kimono." Of course, he also had no choice in matters concerning Sakura and her concrete solid decisions.

Kisa's kimono was simple, nothing fancy, but, as Neji'd said, Sakura had good taste. Plain white and coupled with an obi the shade of her hair, the silk flowed over her body, brushing against ankles and past hands, brightening creamy and pale skin. When she leaned on Neji for support as he swept her up, he caught the scent of flowers.

Outside, the sky was dark, the sun having relinquished its reign to the moon hours ago, but as they approached the main street, the dark was invaded by the light of paper lanterns and glowing shops and stalls, and the laughing people flitting from place to place. In the square, they found an indignant Naruto denouncing his love for the color orange to Sakura and Sasuke; the former looking about ready to haul off and knock the blonde into oblivion while the latter appeared mildly indifferent.

"...for the love of all _manly_ things, why orange?" Naruto appeared to be venting on Sasuke.

Sasuke shrugged. "You wear it all the time."

"Not on a yukata, teme."

"Huh, and I was hoping you wouldn't notice."

"Like hell I wouldn't!"

Sakura interupted then, smoothly, and due to her intervention, one blonde was blacked out on the street. Dusting her hands off and straightening her red hem, she greeted Neji and Kisa with a cheerful grin, "And how are we this evening?"

"Fine, thank you." Neji seemed woefully oblivious to his blonde friend's state of health.

"Thank you for the kimono, Sakura-san." And, apparently, Kisa was too.

The kunoichi waved off the compliments with an offhanded gesture before tugging the other girl from Neji and examining her hurriedly. Another grin appeared on her face, growing only wider as she scrutinized and nit-picked. Suddenly, Sakura's face lit up with an expression eerily similar to Naruto's in his 'eureka!' moments. Delving one hand into the generous space of her sleeve, Sakura procured a hair band and brush (how she ever fit the brush in her sleeve was anyone's guess), and wrangled Kisa's hair into a braid.

"Mmhmm..." Looking pleased with herself, Sakura passed Kisa back to Neji. "Much better."

The young woman's embarrassment was too tempting for Neji and Sasuke to resist smirking and her cheeks only reddened. Her eyes roamed, blinking rapidly, then seemed to notice Naruto for the first time, and said, "Should we-"

"Leave him there." Sasuke remarked. "It's not like it's an unnatural state for him."

--

It seemed as if the whole village had turned out to see him speak.

Surveying the large crowd from the small stage that had been set up in the town square, the young Kazekage fought off a frown. He was standing beside Tsunade, only half-listening to her introductions; the other half was preoccupied with watching a girl hovering over a downed figure whose blonde hair reminded him suspiciously of... Wait, was that an _orange_ yukata?

_Naruto._

"...like to welcome the Kazekage of Sand."

Gaara's eyes refocused, reacting to his cue from Tsunade to begin his speech. Gaara hated the whole thing, but he went on with it, delivering what was expected of him and not particurely enjoying it. During the event, while his eyes seemed to be taking in the crowd as a whole, his attention would drift away, leaving his body behind to act as needed, and a blue-green gaze would fall upon, first his siblings making a security check, and then Naruto and his friends. The blonde was reviving, sitting up and looking around before shaking his fist at a dark-haired shinobi (the Uchiha, no doubt). His medic friend - Haruno, was it? - was watching the scene in earnest while a certain Hyuuga prodigy sighed dismally. And then, who was that? A small figure stood at the brunette's side, arms threaded through one of his, leaning completely on the ninja. Neji didn't seem to mind at all, as if ignorant of the invasion of his space, the space that he usually was so defensive of...

When his speech was over and when Gaara had managed to escape the pursuing officials who were oh-so glad to 'see-you-live-and-well', Naruto pounced on his red-haired friend, earning a solid smack in the face and a mouthful of sand for it. (Sasuke looked suspiciously gleeful when Naruto went sailing through the air...)

"Sakura-san, Neji-san, Naruto," Gaara nodded to each of them, pausing at the girl tucked unsteadily against Neji's arm. "And?"

"Gaara-san," Sakura was all smiles now; a certain blonde grumbled in the background. "This is Yaksuku Kisa-san, patient of mine and friend of our's."

He nodded to the medic and then inclined his head slightly to Kisa, watching as she did the same. "It's a pleasure meeting you." he said, but his voice was flat, toneless; unlike the softer controlled voice he'd used for Sakura. How similar it was to one she'd heard a long, long while ago... Kisa flinched, and Neji frowned.

Right then, Sakura cut in, beaming cheerfully like the socially adept person she was. "Hey, y'know it's been a while since we've been to Ichiraku's together, and Gaara-san hasn't seen it after the expansion. Why don't we go there now and enjoy the special?" She slipped an arm through Sasuke's, ignoring his glower, and steered him away. "C'mon now, with Gaara being the Kazekage and all, we could get our bowls free!"

Naruto whooped in agreement and seized a shocked Kisa by the shoulders, swinging her up into his arms and dancing down the street after the two. Neji let them go; silver eyes were fixed severely on a certain redhead. "...I can't say I expected a better reaction from you," he said finally, then added, ",as I know you aren't particular to others' perceptions of yourself."

"That's right." Gaara conceded in that low, deep voice of his, aquamarine eyes flashing bright blue in the lantern lights.

A pause, long and silent. The people gathered in the distant square chattered in faint, muted conversations.

"...Did you see her eyes?" It was not actually a question, more of a request for conformation.

But Gaara only meandered further down the street, passing Neji without a word, and for a while, Neji thought he'd never hear the answer. He was wrong, and the Kazekage paused, a brief split-second long halt of all locomotive processes, and said one thing, "Dark."

Both were five minutes late to Ichiraku's, and in the end, it was an unanimous decision to leave Naruto - god rest his poor, blonde passed out soul - with the tab.

It was a shame he couldn't hold his sake.

--

Keiji was at a loss.

This was not something that happened often, and he prided himself with that knowing self-confidence and coolness that he carried despite whatever situation confronted him. Still, even he couldn't grasp how his careful precautions had blown apart so easily, so simply, by the one-in-a-million chance that someone would be nosy enough to take an interest in his sister's condition. Worse, was that that person was a Hyuuga. Worse still, was that that Hyuuga was Hyuuga _Neji_.

Keiji recounted the missions he'd been on with the ninja, how he'd been impressed by the other's intuitive instincts and deadly hands. Hyuuga Neji was the perfect combination of skill, intelligence, and arrogance. He was so sure of himself, too sure of himself, and because of that, he was very trusting in his instincts; and once he'd caught wind of something suspicious in his fellow Anbu member, he'd been watching with hawk eyes, often placing himself at Kisa's side as a clear and intentional block between the two. Of course, Keiji himself was partly to blame for the situation. Had he been a little bit more _subtle_ in that incident some years past, there would not so much reason for Neji and many of his comrades to regard him with distrustful eyes. That slip-up of his had caused the death of an Anbu and lead to the discovery of several bodies in the apartment he'd once shared with Kisa.

The ninja pursed his lips absently, musing mournfully when remembering how he hadn't had the time to dispose of the corpses. Poor Kisa had been sitting in her bed the entire time, smothered in her bloody sheets, curled in a fetal position, and trembling. To her credit, she hadn't even cried out once, even when he decapitated one of the men right in front of her eyes. It was more than could be said for the Anbu who'd come to investigate the racket he'd heard - he screamed when Keiji cut him down, Keiji hoping to silence a witness. In the end, the dead man's companions heard him and came running, discovering the fourteen year-old standing over the body with the reddened blade of his katana dripping blood on the stained floor. Keiji claimed that he'd mistaken the man for another enemy and said the other bodies belonged to men who'd come to kill him and his sister over their late father's gambling debts.

"Father was good man, but he had his temptations." he'd said, looking for all the world like the wide-eyed orphan he was doing his best to defend his helpless little sister.

An investigation into the event was launched, as was customary, but there'd been nothing out of the ordinary, despite the question as to why would the dead men have gone so far as to infiltrate a village to settle a score. The bodies carried no identification, their weapons simple and plain; their clothes likewise. Some digging into their father's past produced the unearthing of several large debts. With both parents long buried with all other close relatives, and with Keiji serving as a chuunin, the case was closed and there was no need seen to place the two in the care of other adults. Or rather, there was no manpower to protect them at the time.

Orochimaru's attack half a year before then had rendered Konoha short on ninja. They had no energy to spend on children. Everything, it seemed, covered well the truth, but the eyes of other ninja remained wary, because it was a secrete suspicion that many harbored that perhaps, maybe, there had been more to the story. Neji, thirteen at the time, was one of those pairs of eyes.

_All this time, he's just been itching to find a reason to get at me. Kisa is his justification._

Yes, his poor lame sister. She was in the hospital, had been for a while, and now, out the blue, Hyuuga Neji decided he was going to reteach her to walk. But if that happened, his plans would fall further into ruin. Should she be able to walk, she'd be completely independent of her brother and he needed her to remain dependent for his success. Neji had already replaced him in her daily life, but her childhood was still dominated by memories of _him_. So, in that way, he continued to execute influence over her.

"I've always protected you, Nee-chan." Keiji said as he concluded his thoughts, and held her tighter in his arms.

Kisa was still dressed in that kimono, dark eyes half-lidded and distant, her lips purple with cold. She shivered against him. He rested his head against hers, smirking into her hair and drawing the sheets around them both. The hospital's visiting hours had ended long ago, but being a ninja, he slipped in undetected...

...as he did every night, as he did an hour after Neji left.

Thin, weak, delicate, she was still _his_. The Hyuuga might have her in the day, but at night, when her nightmares of that bloody terrifying day tormented her, he was the one that held her; and it would always be this way.

"Haven't I taken good care of you?" Keiji murmured, the scent of wilting flowers in his nose.

Kisa shifted, trembled, and breathed out, "Yes."

He smirked again, stroking her hair, knowing exactly what his touch brought. It was his presence that brought her pain, that made her cold, that revived those memories of blood and death. She _feared_ him.

Again, Keiji spoke, "It'll be over soon, I promise. I always keep my promises, don't I?"

There was no answer. He waited for her quiet voice, but she said nothing. He pulled away from her, looking at her expression in the moonlight streaming from the open window. As usual, her eyes were detached, as they always were in his presence, but there was a sort of hardness in her features, a rigid set to her jaw. She reached out, shocking him, and placed a warm hand against his cold cheek, drawing herself close, moving her lips to his ear, whispering, "You will not use me."

As he watched on, she folded away from him, removing herself from him, laying down and curling in bed.

And he could do nothing.

--

Dark.

She had dark eyes, eyes a shade of brown so deep that it was nearly black. Perhaps a tone or two more and she might've passed for an Uchiha, also considering if she were to dye her hair the same color. But that hair of her's was too rare, too bright, to waste on black, and in that same token, as were those shocking melancholy eyes.

Yaksuku Kisa had said only one thing to Gaara, as he and the others separated for the night: "I hope you feel better. You look tired."

And then, she'd smiled tremulously, kindly, fisting shaking hands behind her back. Strangely, Gaara noted, she didn't seem frightened, and when Neji's eyes fastened on her quivering hands before drifting downward, fixing themselves where her legs were hidden by silk, he too looked as well. Even stranger, the Hyuuga personally escorted Yaksuku Kisa to the hospital, once again carrying her.

Kisa was still trembling.

Bluntly, he'd asked Sakura why.

"She's sick," was the response, and the medic tucked a strand of pink behind an ear. "All this moving about, even if not mostly by her own power, is tiring for her."

Not another word was said after that and Gaara had left it be, watching the departing pair stoically.

It was...curious. Protective vs. protected. Male vs. female. One Hyuuga Neji and one beautiful girl. Honestly, had Gaara been any other person, a blooming relationship would've been what was seen, but Gaara was a bit deeper than that. While they were clearly close, it wasn't _**that**_ kind of 'close'. Really, prying over the Hyuuga's affairs was something he shouldn't be doing and...it seemed too _human_. Or more Temari-like, perhaps.

Kisa's eyes refused to leave him be, and floated in his mind, looming and abnormally wide; he shut his own eyes but that failed to dispel the penetrating gaze lingering behind his eyelids. Perhaps the resemblance to his own eyes disturbed him? Yes, Gaara concluded. Yes, it did. The familiar sadness that touched her's had once been held in his own eyes, and he recognized that desolation, but she, unlike him, wore a layer over that feeling. All through the night, Kisa had been smiling, polite and doing her best to look socialble. Still, she was unable to properly mask herself and Gaara read her easily.

_"...Did you see her eyes?" _the Hyuuga had asked.

The question was meant to not only draw his attention but to pass along a silent message.

_Be considerate._

Considerate, because she was in pain, a pain that he understood and so Neji had discreetly (and voicelessly) pointed it out. Of course, Gaara had noticed, hence his comment about her 'dark' eyes, and he wondered about the pain she knew. Was she sad because she was ill; or was it because someone had abandoned her, betrayed her, perhaps? And then again, was it all of the above? Gaara mused over this as he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as Kankuro modified Crow's traps on the floor.

"Kankuro," Kankuro paused, looking up from the foot-long blade in hand. "Kankuro, what do you see in my eyes?"

The puppeeter blinked twice and at first, his expression was disbelief. His brother's steady gaze convinced him of the earnestness and then, he furrowed his brow and frowned, taking on a rare air of seriousness. "Well," He halted, hesitated, and seemed to deliberate the strange question a moment longer. "I...wouldn't really know. I've never thought all that much 'bout it." He shrugged carelessly, turning back to his puppet.

Gaara frowned. It wasn't much of an answer.

"But," Gaara looked at Kankuro again; his brother was still fiddling with Crow's blades, checking their strength and tugging a few out of hidden compartments. "I'd say that people look up to those eyes."

There was a long moment of silence in which only the scrape of knives and the clacking of wooden joints were heard. Never once did the elder brother look up at his younger sibling, continuing to modify his weapon and adverting his eyes, something akin to embarrassment simmering beneath the paint on his face. But the silence was enough, and the message and the unspoken words were clear.

--

Author's Note: In all honesty, I felt like I was forcing it a bit when writing this, but I suppose maybe that's just me being critical...again. But really, that's up to you guys' judgement. Yup, so go ahead and chew me out if you agree, or exalt me if you like. ...Actually, a little exalting would be nice for my ego. Mmmhmm, just what the doc ordered. XD

Many Thanks Go To:

NeferNeferi - Woo, random coincedence luv!

Dragon of Twilight - (huggles) I thank you very much! Hearing about good grammar pleases me so!

Valinor's Twilight - The fact that you always seem to review my chappies is so encouraging. Somebody is actually following me! TT

kwintess - No! No KxN! XD Thank you for the comments. Knowing that I'm handling the two well made me (literally) bounce around the room. ;

P260even - (throws another cookie) Take this too, you good reviewer you! Really? Brother and sister? That's kinda what I was aiming for; now I feel like I've succeeded.

Centy-kun - No comments are particurely neccessary here. I just love you. TT

Storm Wolf - Thank you, friend of Centy-kun. (collapses into puddle of mushiness)

Sachiko - Thank for noticing the differences. And about Neji... (coughs) Yup, that'll have to wait. ;

anime.storm - I actually did my happy dance after reading that review... Seriously.

Mellolicious - The review that motivated me to get off my butt and post... Thank you.


	4. Oh Noez! Not Again!

I'm sorry to say that AS is now discontinued. To be honest, I no longer have the motivation to write a multi-chapter and the stress of my family's current situation seems to have sapped my muse for such things. However, I've been writing up streams of one-shots, three of which were posted. It'd be my pleasure if you read them actually. (The author is being shameless. VV ) You can expect many one-shots from me and it's not all that surprising considering that they seem to be my special area. Anyhoo, thanks for reading so far.

-FH

Recent One-shots

1. Companionship (Romance) - NejiTenten

2. Where the Heart Is (Romance/Mild, Itty-bitty Humor) - ShikaTem

3. Force is a Necessity (Humor) - Tsunade-centric, a short skit that involves Tsunade, an impudent boy, and a bottle of sake


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